


Binary Orbit

by ami_ven



Series: Lantea Fire Station [7]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Firefighters, Community: mcsheplets, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 06:30:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17239151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: Rodney had been nervous for months, since he’d sent the e-mail inviting Jeannie and her family to Lantea Island for the Christmas holidays.





	Binary Orbit

**Author's Note:**

> Written for LJ community "mcsheplets" 296 ‘the other side of the deadline XII’ (276 ‘anxious’ & 288 ‘home’)

Rodney had been nervous for months, since he’d sent the e-mail inviting Jeannie and her family to Lantea Island for the Christmas holidays.

He had been communicating with his sister regularly, now, slowly rebuilding their relationship after losing touch for so long. But having Jeannie – along with the English Major she’d married and their spawn – staying with them for more than two weeks was something else entirely.

John thought he was worrying about nothing. Then again, John also hadn’t talked to _his_ only sibling in years, so Rodney wasn’t relying too heavily on his opinion. But John was also very supportive of Rodney’s bouts of anxiety, dutifully rearranging their living room furniture so Rodney could vacuum for the sixth time or strategically distracting him when he started getting too worked up. Which all left Rodney feeling a little off-kilter even after Jeannie’s family arrived.

“No, I’ve got it,” said John, taking Rodney’s plate. “You stay and talk with your sister.”

After all their traveling, Madison had started falling asleep over her dessert, so Kaleb had taken her up to bed, but Jeannie had stayed at the table, arguing about a recent physics journal they’d both read.

“I can…” Rodney began, but John waved him off, smiling, and took his pile of dirty dishes into the kitchen.

There was a beat of silence, then Jeannie leaned over to touch his arm. “Oh, my god, Mer.”

“What?” he said. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” said Jeannie. “Nothing’s wrong, I just… I’m so happy for you.”

Rodney blinked. “For what?”

“You’ve made a whole new life here,” she said, smiling. “The way you talk about this place, the way you talk about _John_ , I don’t ever think I’ve known you to be happier.”

“I don’t think I have been,” he said, then took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I wasn’t more supportive when you got married.”

“Mer…”

“No, I mean it,” said Rodney. “I still don’t understand how you could give up physics entirely, that just seems utterly ridiculous, even if you did immediately start reproducing—”

“Mer!”

“—but now I understand why meeting the right person can make you re-think your entire life plan. It’s like… like two stars coming into each other’s orbits, becoming binary. Their orbits depend on each other after that.”

Jeannie smiled. “I’m so glad you were able to find that. John seems like a good guy.”

“He is.”

THE END


End file.
